The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1887-10-29
A WILD NIGHT.RDE THAT NETTE0
HALF A MlLLION DOLLARS.


inveterate romancer. He is also a
fast friend of Jim Turner of Ian
sing. The two were managers of the
Michigan school for the blind for a
number of years, till Gov. Luce, for
some political Or personal reasons,
refused TO reappoint Jim. Tom
thinks a great deal of Jim, and is
never tired of telling big stories
about his smartness, and iberality
and wealth and farm and wife and
babies Jim reciprocates.
Jim made his first start at the ten
der age of IS by taking a contract
for building twenty miles of the
Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw Rail
road. He was successful at that,
and has thrived like a green bay
tree since. Applegate tells a story
characteristic of Jim Turner.
"You see, Jim had $150,000 pine
land deal with Stephens of st. Helen
in Roscommon county, and had a
30-day option in which to put up
the rocks. From the way the nego-
tiations were made Jim thought
there would be no trouble in getting
an extension of the option if he did
not plank down the money at the
time. OF course Jim is a million
aire, but it bothers the richest man
sometimes to show $150,000 in cool
cash. Well, two or three days be-
fore the expiration of the option,
Jim found a purchaser, and he COM
municated with Stephens about the
option. Now Stephens had been
negotiating with another party and
had got a better offer. Jim heard of
this and got anxious. So he telegra-
phed
"Why haven't you answered my
letter? Can I get an extension p
The answer was, mo-
Then Jim walked up. He came
to Detroit and went round to the
banks for money. Finally about
the time the banks closed he got
three cashiers together, and he says
to them:
"Look here, I want s15O,O0O, and
1 want it right now"
"The three cashiers said All right,
Jim,' and each told their tellers to
count out $4,000 in currency. Jim
says to them:
"Now certify that each bundle
has been counted and found correct.
= "They affixed their certificates to
each bundle of notes, and Jim turn
} ed his clean shirts and collars out Of
his gripsack and stuffed the $4,000
in their places. Then he puts down
= to the Michigan Central in hurry
and interviews the president.
= "Ledyard," he said, L want to go
to St. Helen tonight"
e "You can't do it," said Ledyard;
4 there are no more trains tonight
, 81 know that says Jim, but I
| must get there
. "You can't get there
81 tell you what l am going there
before midnight. l want special
engine and car and your best engi-
neer, and 1 want you to keep the
e road clear. I can't afford to lose half
: a million without a struggle"
, "Well, Jim you can have all that,
+ but l tell you you can't'get to St.
' Helen tonight It's l75 miles from
here, and the road is pretty rough
4 "Ill chance it, says Jim.
"They brought out an engine and
t one car in a jifTy, and jim put his
: wife on the car. Then he went to
r the engineer and said:
r "Now, here's s25, and for every
i hour you save before midnight you
e get S25 more.
S "I'll do the best l can," said the
n engineer. "The road above Bay
n City is rough, but I'll whoop it up
e for all its worth"
4 81 tell you that engine tore away
> like mad, and they got to Bay City
:, in hurry. Then they had to take
1 the Mackinaw division of the Mich
/ igan Central. The roadbed was
pretty bad, and sure enough, there
Il was an accident ahead. They had
i to stop at way station on account
i of a wreck up the line. Jim felt con.
siderably set back but he didn't
. show it. He just put his feet on the
gripsack and clinched his teeth anG
waited. By good luck the wreck
was cleared off in about an hour
! and away they moved again. 1t was
y dark by this time, and the coacf
wobbled like hobby horse, jim
- asked the engineer if he could g
- ~ any faster
:, - 81 hardly dare to run faster,' sale
the man, but if you'll take the risk
| will
" "Crack her through said Jimmy